High speed continuous casting of steel billets - Part 1: General overview

This paper is the first of a series of two, providing an overview of the results of mould heat transfer analyses conducted over years of industrial trials. The effects of casting speed, carbon content, superheat, water flowrate, electromagnetic stirring, and mould lubricant are discussed in terms of the midface mould heat transfer. Mould corner heat transfer is also discussed. Finally, an overview of mould design is given, as well as an analysis that reveals that both excessively steep and shallow meniscus tapers cause high heat transfer. Alternative designs to the conventional straight tapered moulds are discussed briefly. The focus is on the primary cooling zone, and therefore billet quality issues are not extensively covered.